@article{
author = "Šipetić, Tatjana and Rajković, Dragana and Bogavac-Stanojević, Nataša and Marinković, Valentina and Meštrović, Arijana and Rouse, Michael J.",
year = "2023",
abstract = "This study aims to demonstrate the improvements in clinical symptoms in patients with post-COVID syndrome after a community pharmacy-based intervention in Serbia. The Pharmaceutical Chamber of Serbia ("Chamber") invited pharmacists to deliver post-COVID patient care counselling, supported by the SMART Pharmacist Program, offering education and guidance. Present symptoms, duration and patient self-reported severity of symptoms on a scale of 1-5 on the first visit were recorded. After the counselling and proposed self-medication treatment, the time of the follow-up visit and the severity of the recorded symptoms were also recorded. The prospective data collection lasted from December 2021 to September 2022. In total, 871 patients with post-COVID symptoms were included in the study, served by 53 pharmacists. The most frequently reported post-COVID symptoms coincided with the literature, mostly related to the respiratory system (51.2%), immunity status (32.2%), fatigue and exhaustion (30.7%), skin, hair and nails (27.4%) and cognitive functions (27.9%). A total of 26.5% of patients were referred to their family physician (general practitioner), and 69.5% returned to the pharmacist for a follow-up visit. On the first visit, the median severity of patients' symptoms was three, while on the second visit it dropped to one. The pharmacists' intervention led to a significant improvement in the post-COVID patients' condition.",
publisher = "MDPI",
journal = "Pharmacy",
title = "SMART Pharmacists Serving the New Needs of the Post-COVID Patients, Leaving No-One Behind",
volume = "11",
number = "2",
pages = "61",
doi = "10.3390/pharmacy11020061"
}
